Courtesy Leader Post

Corey Pielak was only one year old the last time the Saskatchewan Roughriders brought the Grey Cup home.

Now 19, he struggled to find words to express his excitement after seeing the team hoist the cup at Mosaic Stadium on Monday in front of roughly 8,000 cheering fans.

“Amazing, unbelievable, indescribable. I’m at a loss for words,” said Pielak, who was out celebrating the Roughriders’ win until 3 a.m. on Albert Street.

He was among the bundled-up hordes who poured into Mosaic Stadium on Monday afternoon to welcome the champions home and see the Grey Cup in person. Fans sang along to “Green is the Colour” while parents tightened scarves around the children as they entered the stadium and took up residence on the west side.

“It’s not cold, we’re Saskatchewan tough here. We’re Prairie people, we’re tough,” said 25-year fan Hugh Wright, before heading for the stands.

Most of the crowd stood on their seats in anticipation. After a few introductory remarks, the crowd started chanting, “Bring the cup” and their demands were quickly answered. As the music cranked up and the fireworks were ignited, the green-clad masses screamed as the players walked onto the field with the cup.

Many of the fans had cameras and camcorders to record the momentous occasion, while a number of the Roughrider players also captured the moment for posterity. When Regina’s Mayor Pat Fiacco stepped up to welcome the crowd to the stadium, many joined him in proclaiming it, “the home of the 2007 Grey Cup champions.”

With a -36 windchill, snowsuits, thick toques and heavy mitts were worn by the screaming fans who waved Roughrider flags and signs in the stands.

“No big deal. It’s not even cold out,” joked Randy Dove, as he and his wife Judy left following the short program.

Dove attended the game in Toronto and arrived back in the Queen City around 3 a.m.

“There wasn’t much of a celebration in Toronto, people just went away. But this is great. All the people turned out. I didn’t think there would be this many people here,” he explained.

While Rick Smith made it to work on time Monday morning, he and a few of his colleagues got the chance to skip out early for the celebration.

“The boss let us go early, said whoever wanted to go could go so we decided to come down,” said Smith, who got the chance to see the 1989 championship in person.

Roughriders fan Chad White said he had a feeling when Kent Austin signed on as the head coach a year ago that the team’s fortunes were changing. White also had the foresight to take a three-day weekend.

“I booked this day off about a month ago. I had a good feeling about it,” White said.

Randy Craigie called seeing the Grey Cup brought back to Saskatchewan a “dream come true.” Craigie and his best friend brought their kids to the celebration, who left school early to attend.

“I think it’s the experience of a lifetime. We were out last night with all the cars and stuff and they had a blast,” said Craigie.

Pielak first got season tickets when he was six and still goes to every game, even hitting the road for at least one away game in Calgary or Edmonton annually. Obviously he couldn’t remember the last time the Roughriders brought the cup back to Regina in 1989, but this time will be different.

“I’ll remember this one for the rest of my life, I guarantee that,” said Pielak.

Tags: Fans, Grey Cup, Regina, Roughriders